Pretty Snarl
by Evergloam
Summary: She never knew what hit her. AU.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: As it says in the summary, this is an AU story. So there will be changes. Lots and lots of changes.

* * *

Pretty Snarl

Prologue

A tall woman stood upon the wreckage of what was once a great building. Her waist length pink hair fluttered lightly in the cool night breeze. The half-moon high above her shone silvery-purple, casting ghostly shadows across the wreckage of Kumogakure. The Raikage was dressed in a simple black kimono- cut short at the thigh, an emerald satin ribbon tied tightly around her waist.

She was very well armed, ready for a battle that she wished was avoidable. Several weapon holsters were visible on her pale skin, the most noticeable was the large ring-blade strapped to her back.

The blade was a brilliant silver, while the inner circle was as dark as obsidian with white markings that she assumed was a long forgotten language.

"This is it..." She said quietly to herself. "The end had finally arrived." This fight had been raging for hours now, and it was soon time for the deadly woman to step in and defend her village.

It had been a while since the Haruno clan had been involved with the tailed beasts, at least seven decades, and it was time again now to seal this particular beast within the next descendant of her bloodline- namely her daughter.

Her heart wrenched at the thought. This wasn't how her life was supposed to play out. She was supposed to grow old with her husband, watch her daughter mature and marry- have children of her own. She was supposed to be a grandmother one day.

But the life of a ninja is never predicable.

She had given birth to her child only three months ago, and it was killing her inside to know that she would grow up without the love and comfort of her mother- and the fact that she would be ostracized for the sealing jutsu she was soon to perform.

"Raikage-samma," A boy said. He had appeared a few minutes ago, and waited for her to acknowledge him to speak. "We're almost at our limit; the demon is going to break through the barrier any minute now." He warned, his bright green orbs marked him into the same clan as her. "What do you suggest we do?"

The two-tailed cat beast had broken free of its sealing a few days ago, and it had already demolished half of her village. The power of this beast was formidable, and had to be sealed away every generation.

The beast's new host was to be her own child, a sacrifice she knew her daughter would bear for the rest of her life. When the beast had broken free, Saryu had begun the sealing process- inscribing the tribal sealing marks around her infant daughter's waist with her chakra.

The woman looked at him for a moment, emerald eyes searching his for a moment. After a few minutes she spoke.

"What is your name and rank, child?" She asked quietly. It took him a second to answer.

"Yuko, Raikage-sama, and Jonin." Saryu nodded, he would have to do.

"I have a final mission for you, Yuko." She said her eyes as hard as granite. The boy looked a bit surprised, but kept his mouth closed- his questions burning his tongue. "When the battle is over, take my daughter to Konoha, a village in Fire country." A single tear slid down her cheek. She knew these were some of her final moments. Konoha had a lasting alliance with Kumogakure, and they would without a doubt take in her daughter, and raise her to the best of their capability.

This probably wouldn't be much, considering that most every jinchuriki was outcasted and feared.

The boy was severely tempted to ask why, but he had enough sense to keep quiet. "Yes, Raikage-sama." He said quietly.

"She is there, on the top floor." The pink haired woman pointed to one of the few building that was intact. He could see a field generated around the building, keeping it safe from the destruction. The beast's roar could be heard in the distance.

"Her name is Sakura." The woman handed him a small box. "Make sure they keep this with her."

She was gone before he could speak.

* * *

"Stand back." The kuniochi said to the line of ninja that had managed to back the creature into a hollow section of the mountain. The men and women who were poised to attack, or defend their leader slowly stepped back, all but disappearing into the foliage.

"Ahhh, Saryu." The cat purred, her two-toned eyes surveying the area. "You have not changed." She gave a toothy grin.

The woman said nothing, only unstrapped her weapon from her back.

The cat was enormous, but very slender. Her body was mostly black, several spots muddled with silver. Its tails swirled gracefully within the pale light, one with a silver ring, the other purple- the rings glowed menacingly with chakra.

"It is over, Nibi." Saryu said as she fell into an offensive stance, ring blade poised before her. "It ends _here_."

The air hissed as her blade began to dance with lightening, tendrils flying off and caressing her arm. Saryu threw the blade as the cat, and was not surprised when she dodged.

The blade made a quiet whistling sound as it flew back into her hand, still charged. Overhead a thunderstorm began to brew, turning the night darker and hazy. Rain began fall, slow at first but quickly picking up pace. Lightening shot through the clouds, occasionally connecting with the ground near Saryu and the two-tailed cat.

"You'll have to do better than that." The cat huffed as she lowered to pounce upon the woman. The beast darted towards the Raikage and hissed in rage when Saryu jumped nimbly into the air, landing on the thick branch of a tree. Saryu threw the blade once again, and was surprised when it embedded itself with the cat's side.

She hissed in pain, her tails moving viscously, chakra began to charge the air. She was gathering more power for an attack.

As quickly as she threw the blade, it returned to her outstretched hand- covered in the animal's blood. Carefully, the Raikage began to channel more of her electrically charged chakra into her blade. The sharp edges began to ring shrilly above the crackling of the thunder overhead. The blade began to grow in size, becoming thinner and sharper as it expanded. It began to cut into Saryu's hand, absorbing the blood and gaining a sickly red tinge.

Once the blade was large enough to fit around the beast's head, Saryu jumped from the safety of her tree and onto the cats back.

The animal yowled defiantly and shook in an attempt to dislodge her, unable to get a descent hold on the beast, the Raikage jumped down, landing with a quiet 'thump' as she steadied herself.

The Nibi's two tails were swishing violently, the rings circling the ends were emitting heat, and Saryu could see the waves of heat turning the falling rain into steam. The cat's right eye, as white as the moon, had become streaked with red, the iris an angry loop of fire.

Then, as if someone had thrown a lit match on the creature, its fur turned to a white silvery flame- burning the limbs of the trees into cinders as it came into contact. Then the cat charged at her, as quick as the flashes of lightening above.

Saryu dodged the fiery animal with inches to spare. The tails of the ribbon wrapped around her waist were severely singed. The tailed beast lost her footing in the muddy ground and skidded into the side of the mountain.

Saryu took this as a chance to jump onto the cat's back, channeling chakra into the soles of her feet to keep her stuck to the beast.

The form of the cat was shifting with the flames, and Saryu was having a difficult time holding onto the shimmery fire without falling back down to the ground.

The flames from the beast's fur had already begun to burn through the sole's of her sandals, and soon through her own flesh. She was running out of time.

The Raikage threw her blade around the creature's head, and began to make a long stream of hand seals. Tattoo like marks traveled to her wrist and hands, until they were glowing with a sinister light. Saryu knew that at this point the marks she had inscribed upon her daughter were lit up as well.

The Raikage closed her emerald eyes tightly, wishing a farewell to the daughter she would never know. A farewell to the life they could never have together.

'_I'll love you more than you could ever know Sakura.'_ She thought sadly as tears began to spill from her eyes.

"Sealing Jutsu: Ring of Binding!" She shouted over the thunder. At this, the blade around the cat's neck began to constrict, creating a disturbing semblance to a collar.

The hand seals complete, she slammed her hand upon the cats head, the marks that were writhing on her hands began to move onto the tailed-beast, covering the cats face and eyes. The beast began to shake, her eyes closed in pain as she gave a loud roar. "No!" Soon her entire body was covered in swirling marks, the flames reverting back into fur. The sealing was compressing her chakra and channeling it into the set of marks that were on the infant not too far away.

Saryu collapsed as the rest of the marks made their way onto the creature. She gave a triumphant smile as she fell to the ground, her village was safe again- or what was left of it at least.

Once she hit the ground, two of her most trusted medics ran to her side- their hands alit with chakra in an attempt to heal her. With the last of her energy, she pushed them away gently.

"Do not-" She coughed blood, and looked sternly into the eyes of the two medics. "Do not let my daughter grow up ignorant to the sacrifice she has made for you all. You will treat her with respect as my daughter, demon or not, when I am gone."

She locked eyes with the elder of the two medics'. "Please, Kiri, watch over her." She whispered, they knew that there was no hope for her. Her life force was being used as the gateway for the transfer and the final sealing of the beast. She would not survive.

Their salty tears hit her face as she closed her brilliant emerald eyes.

"I will."

It was over.

It was finally over.

* * *

Yuko held the infant to his chest securely as he ran through the low foot hills that marked the transition from Lightening country into Fire. He was close, he could tell.

Sometime before the sun had begun to rise, the marks around the naked baby's waist had begun to glow a sinister purple. He was a bit worried at first, but calmed when it stopped not too long after, wrapping the infant's blanket around her more securely.

'It must have been the sealing jutsu.' He pondered to himself, and jumped slightly when it finally registered with him that his leader was dead. A few tears slid past his green eyes as he quietly mourned for the kind woman he had known.

He looked down at the child in his arms; she was awake now- but eerily silent. Her viridian orbs were now marked, he noticed, with thin silver rings through the irises. They were startlingly beautiful.

Yuko wrapped the blanket a bit tighter around her as he picked up his speed, he could see the gate through the forest leaves, pale morning light beginning to give everything color again.

A/N: Well? What did you think?


End file.
